A 150-foot-long crack in the newly poured portion of north Garfield Avenue will keep Metro Construction from meeting its expected October completion date.

The concrete surface of Garfield Avenue west of Dell Rapids High School, poured in August as a part of the $1.9 million 15th Street construction project, is cracking in multiple places, including the 150-foot-split that runs through at least 10 panels.

“One is a longitudinal crack that runs mostly parallel to the center-line joint,” said Trent Bruce, an engineer with DGR Engineering. “It starts about two inches away from the center-line joint and works its way out until its about two feet away from the center-line joint.”
Cracks around some manholes and water valves on Garfield Avenue are also popping up, Bruce said.

Because the product delivered isn’t up to snuff, administrators at City Hall will negotiate extending the one-year warranty that covers the work now.

In the meantime, the cracks have been sealed to prevent them from getting any worse while engineers research repair options.

“We’re hopeful 15th Street doesn’t exhibit some of the same things,” Bruce said.